Martin Beck News

On this day in 1987, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim's fractured fairytale, Into The Woods opened on Broadway!

Earlier this week, The Al Hirschfeld Foundation celebrated Louise Hirschfeld Cullman at a reception at The National Arts Club in New York City. All proceeds from the event benefited the non-profit Al Hirschfeld Foundation, for which Louise Hirschfeld Cullman served as founding president for 12 years after the death of her husband in 2003. Entertainment feature award winning vocalist K.T. Sullivan

Today, we're remembering some of Marin's greatest performances. Re-live her performances of these iconic songs in the videos below.

The Al Hirschfeld Foundation will celebrate Louise Hirschfeld Cullman at a reception on September 24, 6PM - 8PM at The National Arts Club (15 Gramercy Park South, NYC 10003).

Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theatre hits ever written, including 'Tomorrow.'

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that stage and screen star Barbara Harris has passed away after a battle with lung cancer, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. She was 83 years old.

Built in 1913 as the flagship for the big time vaudeville circuit run by E.F. Albee and Martin Beck, manager of the Western Vaudeville Managers Association, the Palace was the perfect showplace for the biggest of big time vaudeville during the last two decades of its existence.

Americana Theatre Company (ATC), Plymouth's professional theatre company, presents the musical theatre classic Man of La Mancha, starring Boston television personality Scott Wahle in the dual role of Don Quixote/Cervantes, from July 7 through 29, with performances weekly from Thursday through Sunday, at Spire Center for Performing Arts, 25 ½ Court Street, Plymouth. Man of La Mancha is written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The production is directed by Michael Kirkland, with music direction by Nancy Sparklin.

Broadway's smash hit musicalMemphis, winner of four Tony Awards® including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book and Best Orchestrations, will open at The Gateway on July 6th and run through July 21st with preview performances on July 5th.

On this day, we celebrate the birthday of a legendary figure in the world's of art and theatre, the 'Line King', the great Al Hirschfeld. 

INTO THE WOODS is arguably a staple of American theatre. As one of the incomparable Stephen Sondheim's most recognizable shows, INTO THE WOODS is performed continuously by a multitude of theatres across America. From middle schools, to universities, to regional theatre and beyond, an active audience member can often find at least one theatre in their area presenting INTO THE WOODS in their current season. A show with this much popularity can begin to feel trite, and theatres may struggle to find originality in their own production of this often-told tale. However, this is not the case at Gettysburg Community Theatre. Their production of INTO THE WOODS trades elaborate sets and costumes for creativity and simplicity, allowing them to truly focus on the issues and moral questions the story presents. The unique twists sprinkled throughout the show are then facilitated through a host of talent, making Gettysburg Community Theatre's production of INTO THE WOODS not to be missed.

Perry Street Theatricals and Jonathan Demar in association with Frederick M. Zollo and Diane Procter are thrilled to announce that The Saintliness of Margery Kempe by John Wulp, will begin performances on Thursday, July 5, 2018 at New York City's The Duke on 42nd Street (located on 229 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues). The Saintliness of Margery Kempe will hold its opening night on Thursday, July 12.

This Spring/Summer 2018, the talent performing at New Hope's RRazz Room at The Clarion is a diverse mix of world class artists. There is something for all entertainment tastes at the intimate and comfortable Rrazz Room New Hope, located within the Clarion Inn & Suites.

Americana Theatre Company (ATC), Plymouth's professional theatre company, presents the musical theatre classic Man of La Mancha, starring Boston television personality Scott Wahle in the dual role of Don Quixote/Cervantes, from July 7 through 29, with performances weekly from Thursday through Sunday, at Spire Center for Performing Arts, 25 ½ Court Street, Plymouth. Man of La Mancha is written by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The production is directed by Michael Kirkland, with music direction by Nancy Sparklin.

A parable of mass hysteria that draws a chilling parallel between the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and McCarthyism, which gripped America in the 1950s, The Crucible by Arthur Miller remains eerily timely in today's climate of fake news. Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum, its own history firmly rooted in the McCarthy-era Hollywood blacklist - when actor Will Geer and his wife, Herta Ware, created the theater as a haven for blacklisted actors - opens a new production of Miller's modern classic onJune 30. Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer, Will's daughter, is at the helm, with family members Thad Geer,Willow Geer and Melora Marshall featured in the cast.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018 was the grand opening of Grand Hotel. I was thrilled to be in attendance and the performance did not disappoint. With the book by Luther Davis; music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest; additional music lyrics by Maury Yeston, music director of the Encores! Orchestra, Rob Berman; and directed and choreographed by Josh Rhodes; as well as a talented cast, the performance was great fun from beginning to end.

William Ryall has been around for all of it. Not only was he a member of the original 1989 cast, but he will star as Colonel Doctor Otternschlag when the Encores! run begins tonight. We checked in with Ryall to get the scoop on Grand Hotel then and now...

The play Heisenberg by Simon Stephens opened at the Manhattan Theater Club on June 3, 2015 and in 2016 moved to Samuel J Friedman's Theater It was played in London in 2017. It opened the 26th of January at Scala Theatre in Stockholm and will play he until March 24th. I haven't seen the play in English so I can't compare it with its original. Translations is made by Lucia Cajchanova.

Today we flashback to the musical that brought a group of theatrical titans and a story about a mother, a daughter, and roller rink to the Broadway stage. 

As previously announced, Feinstein's/54 Below will present the rarely heard musical A Pound in Your Pocket as part of its popular Second Act Series on Wednesday, January 24th at 7:00pm. The very first collaboration from acclaimed songwriters Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, best known for Bye Bye Birdie, A Pound In Your Pocket is a delightful, Dickensian story about friendship and redemption. Strouse will be on hand at the one-night-only concert to greet fans and sign copies of his memoir, Put On A Happy Face.